English
acetabulum
Acetabulum comes from Latin acētābulum ‘vinegar saucer, 1/48 congius’, from acēscō ‘to become sour, to turn sour’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-1‘sharp’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱéh₁yeti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*akēō1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaceō1‘to be sour’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacēscō2‘to become sour, to turn sour’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacētum3‘vinegar’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacētābulum3‘vinegar saucer, 1/48 congius’
- Englishtodayacetabulum3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin acesco
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin acetum
- 3 Wiktionary, English acetabulum
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-Wiktionary, Latin acesco‘sharp’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱéh₁yetiWiktionary, Latin acescoreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*akēōWiktionary, Latin acescoreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaceōWiktionary, Latin acesco‘to be sour’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacēscōWiktionary, Latin acetum‘to become sour, to turn sour’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacētumWiktionary, English acetabulum‘vinegar’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacētābulumWiktionary, English acetabulum‘vinegar saucer, 1/48 congius’
- EnglishtodayacetabulumWiktionary, English acetabulum
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’
hear, edge, egg, ear, hammer, eager, acute, axe, oxide, vinegar, mediocre, acne, mediocrity, paragon, acupuncture, acacia, hark, acme, exacerbate, acuity, acumen, acrimony, acrid, rosacea, exacerbation, acerbic, 71 more
through Proto-Italic *akēō
through Latin aceō ‘to be sour’
through Latin acētum ‘vinegar’
Today it means
noun The bony cup of the hip bone which receives the head of the femur.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “acetabulum”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin acesco, Latin acetum. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- / acetabulum